Pigment code, series, lightfastness - what every part of the label means.
Every Michael Harding label carries the same set of facts. Learn to read them once and you can judge any colour in the range - its chemistry, its permanence, and its character - at a glance.
- 1Colour Name & Number
The colour’s name and its place in the range - the number is how the colour is ordered in the catalogue.
- 2Pigment Code
The Colour Index code. P = pigment; the next letter is the family (R red, Y yellow, B blue, G green, V violet, Br brown, W white, Bk black); the number is the specific pigment. PR108 is a cadmium red, PB29 is ultramarine. Single-pigment colours show one code; mixed hues show several.
- 3Series
The pricing tier, based on the pigment’s cost and rarity. A higher series means a more precious - usually more expensive - pigment.
- 4Lightfastness
How permanent the colour is, from Excellent to Low, judged by standard lightfastness testing. The higher the rating, the longer the colour will hold on the page.
- 5Opacity
How well the colour covers what is beneath it - from Very Opaque to Very Transparent.
- 6Drying Time
How quickly the oil film dries, from Very Fast to Very Slow. Earths and lead dry fastest; some modern organics dry slowest.